Rivers Cuomo has stated the song, along with others from The Red Album, were heavily influenced by rapper Eminem and his "fun way of using rhymes.

"[citation needed] Weezer played an acoustic version of "Troublemaker" on the May 30, 2008, episode of Alternative Nation on Sirius Radio.

[4] The song was also used for TV commercials for CBS's crime drama show The Mentalist, which premiered in September 2008.

"Troublemaker", along with "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived", appeared in the documentary Warren Miller's Children of Winter.

It consists of the band performing the song, with shots of the band members and fans breaking Guinness World Records, such as "Largest Air Guitar Ensemble", "Most People on a Skateboard", "Longest Session of Guitar Hero World Tour", "Largest Game of Dodgeball", and "Most People in a Custard Pie Fight".